:: artist of the week :: u2 (pt. 1)

they are arguably one of the most recognizable bands of the past 30 years. their frontman is not only know by his vocals but also by his work with politicians around the world in the fight against aids and injustice. some people think bono is the greatest humanitarian since mother theresa, working with groups like the one campaign and founding the organization data. others think he is the biggest turd ever. while i suspect i will make a lot of references will be made of bono, but it's important to note that this band is made up of some great musicians, and all of them deserve credit for forming the direction of this band. love them or hate them, you have to respect a career that spans 32 years and has garnered such awards as :: 22 grammys (best band 7 times, best song, album and rock album each twice, among others), 7 brit awards, 14 meteor awards, 6 vma's, and 12 q awards.

the first song on their first album, boy, is titled i will follow. the last song on their latest release, how to dismantle the atomic bomb, is titled yahweh. in between are 11 studio albums and 126 songs filled with lyrics that seem, at least to this observer, to eerily correspond to the combination of those two song titles :: i will follow, yahweh.

or at least they resemble the heart of a guy trying to search for the best way to do that. bono has made no bones about the fact that he's not perfect, but a look at the lyrics reveals a wanderer and a searcher. his lyrics have led some to label the band a "christian" band early on. with songs like 40, where the streets have no names, and tomorrow it's easy to see things that way.

they are ::

larry mullen, jr. :: drums

adam clayton :: bass

the edge :: guitar

bono :: vocals

let's take a look at the albums they have released thus far ::

1. boy

released in 1980, the debut album from u2 showed signs of promise and a glimpse of what was to come. this album deals with themes of the frustration and apprehension of adolescence, something that we all deal with, also a period of time that was especially difficult for bono, as he lost his mother at the age of 14. u2 was young and enthusiastic, and people started to take notice of them across the globe.

songs i liked :: i will follow, an cat dubh, out of control, the electric co.

2. october

u2's sophomore release is generally one of the less popular records in their collection, but after listening to this one over, i'd put it among one of my favorites. the band boldly made religion the focus of their second album. songs like gloria, with a shout (jerusalem), and tomorrow and lyrics like ::

"open up, open up / to the lamb of god / to the love of he who made / the light to see you / he's coming back / i believe it / jesus is coming." (from tomorrow)

(and tons of other, more subtle references) it's easy to see how the record got mixed reactions. some fans hated the overtly religious tones to the record. others loved the direction and saw the album as a breakthrough in christian music, so much so that it was later ranked the #41 on ccm's greatest christian albums of all time. i like the album for the sound they had on this album, and it's good to see any artist attempt to articulate their faith through their art. 

songs i liked :: gloria, i threw a brick through a window, rejoice, tomorrow, stranger in a strange world.

3. war

the band's third album starts out with bang, the song sunday bloody sunday. one of the first "political" songs by the band, sunday bloody sunday speaks out against the injustices perpetrated in 1972's bloody sunday massacre in northern ireland. even in the midst of protest, bono interjects faith into the mix. in the same song, lyrics like ::

"broken bottles under children's feet / bodies strewn across the dead end street / but i won't head the battle call / it puts my back up / puts my back up against the wall."

comes lyrics about the resurrection of jesus ::

the real battle's just begun / to claim the victory that jesus won / on sunday, bloody sunday."

war is known as one of u2's more political albums. bono said of the album and it's title "war seemed to be a motif for 1982... everywhere you looked, from the falklands to the middle east and south africa, there was war. by calling the album war we're giving people a slap in the face and at the same time getting away from the cosy image a lot of people have of u2."

the album ends with another one of u2's most popular and blatantly christian songs, 40. adapted from psalm 40, the song echoes the pre-chorus from sunday bloody sunday and the main theme of the psalm ::

how long to sing this song?

the song is both a perfect ending to a great album, but another sign of bono's yearning for completion and for answers. 

songs i liked :: sunday bloody sunday, new year's day, drowning man, surrender, 40

4. the unforgettable fire

following up war, the unforgettable fire was a turning point for the band. war built the band's popularity to a high, and they were faced with the decision to either continue making the same brand of music and become a one trick pony or to experiment and evolve as a band. the band chose the later, marking a change in their sound for the rest of their career. the unforgettable fire introduced a more atmospheric, orchestrated sound.

this album features a notable tribute to martin luther king, jr. in the song pride (in the name of love). the song compares mlk and jesus, two figures that had an impact on the world and on bono especially. it's a touching, memorable song that manages to again mix bono's faith with his view of the world and politics.

songs i liked :: pride (in the name of love), wire, 4th of july, indian summer sky.

5. the joshua tree

this is probably my hands down favorite u2 album. sales would indicate that about 22 million other people agree with me. this album is loaded with hits. the first four tracks are perfect. the joshua tree earned u2 a grammy for best album of the year in 1987 and best rock performance. it's also been named #3 in rolling stone's greatest albums of the 80s and #26 in their greatest albums of all time. ccm named the album the #6 greatest "christian" album of all times (although, if you take a look at that list, i think you can just go ahead and say it's the greatest "christian" album of all time).  it sold more than 10 million copies in the united states alone, making the record certified diamond (i didn't even know they had that certification...).

the song where the streets have no name has always fascinated me. bono has stated that the song is about belfast, north ireland and how you can tell what religion a person follows and how much money they were making based off of the street they lived on. i've always found the song to be a great picture and dichotomy between heaven and earth. bono writes ::

i want to run / i want to hide / i want to tear down the walls / that hold me inside / i want to reach out / and touch the flame / where the streets have no name.

i want to feel sunlight on my face / i see the dust cloud disappear / without a trace / i want to take shelter from the poison rain / where the streets have no name.

this is another great example of bono yearning for answers and completion and security, and his yearning has a focus, he seems to know that everything will be made right in heaven (where the streets have no names). the third verse paints a pretty accurate picture of the world we live in today ::

the city's aflood / and our love turns to rust / we're beaten and blown by the wind / trampled in dust / i'll show you a place / high on a desert plain / where the streets have no name.

i could go down the track list and find lyrics like this, the album is packed with them. great, descriptive and honest lyrics. lyrics that unmask the despair we live in and the rescue that is awaiting. it's just a great album. if you haven't given u2 a listen, or you've been on the fence about them as a band, i have to recommend that you listen to this album all the way through. i think it'll give you a great perspective on the band and a much greater appreciation for them.

well, it looks like we're gonna have to split this one up into two parts. tomorrow, we'll look at rattle and hum and the shift into the 90s and beyond.

more to come...